


Following in Your Footsteps

by yourresidentialrobot



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), M/M, Post Season 4, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 04:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13826157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourresidentialrobot/pseuds/yourresidentialrobot
Summary: Lance struggles with his emotions once Keith has left the team, even as he becomes more powerful and mature, unlocking a new bayard. When Keith returns, he grapples with both his feelings and the robots in the training room, as Keith offers to give him sword fighting lessons. In the end, they are a stronger team than ever.





	Following in Your Footsteps

Lance couldn’t sleep. His mind ached, and the long day before only held a share of the blame. On nights like this, cold, shivery, lonely nights, he laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling, feeling like an insignificant piece of the space which surrounded the ship. On nights like this, he thought of Keith. He seemed as tiny and lost as Lance, a lone speck in the galaxy.

Where was Keith out there? Lance hadn’t seen him since THAT night. He tried to shut the thought out, but the moment infiltrated his mind, smoking through the cracks. They’d seen it on every camera, from every angle: Keith, closing his eyes, anticipating impact. Keith, not pulling away, because he never did. He hit the accelerator, and kept going, because he cared more about everyone else than he did about himself. And then, denying all expectations, Lotor saved his life. 

Lance’s pillowcase was wet. He touched his cheek, realizing, numbly, that he was crying. There was no point in sitting here, marinating in his emotions. If anything, that made him hurt more. 

He sat up. Something in the castle was calling him.

Stealing through the castle in bare feet, gripping his bayard in one hand, Lance knew there was only one person who could comfort him right now. Well, person, no. Lion, yes. Blue, while she had left him, understood him. She was compassionate, loyal, motherly. Maybe she’d feel a little pity for the mess Lance had become.

The air in the hangar felt different the instant he set foot inside. It was the middle of the night, yes, everything had that surreality that comes with a three a.m. field trip. That must have been it.

And there Blue was, her presence as constant as ever. He put a hand on her leg, letting the cool metal, and her cool calm beneath, soak in. “What do I do, Blue?” He said. “Sometimes, I feel so lost.”

The truth is, Lance’s position on the team had never been better. He unlocked a new bayard. Allura, Allura of all people, told him how valuable he was to the team. That he’d matured. Well, that maturity came at a price. He was left out. That was no one’s fault. It was the way it was. He replaced Keith, and Keith was the loner. 

Blue’s calmness dissipated at the mention of Keith’s name and she sent a jolt of panic through his body. “What is it, Blue?” 

LOOK AROUND, she said.

Lance strained his ears. From the far end of the hangar, near Red, he heard the faintest of rustles. IT COULD BE THE WIND, he thought, and chastised himself. IDIOT! THERE’S NO WIND IN SPACE!

He snuck around Blue, pressing his back against the green lion. Next to Red, there was a dark figure, standing ominously still, its hand on the lion. Lance pulled in one last breath and launched from behind cover. His bayard shifted into his broadsword. He pointed it at the figure, puffing out his chest.

“Stay right where you are!” He shouted.

The figure, in a recognizable black and purple Galran suit, took him in. “Lance?” It said. Hope pierced Lance’s heart, and he shook it off. Nothing had gone well up to now, so why would he expect Keith to be the three a.m. intruder in the castle? For all he knew, he was still laying in bed, hallucinating this very scenario.

“Who are you?” Lance asked, his voice wavering.

The figure took off its mask. Keith. It was Keith. That was Keith in front of Lance, his eyes apologetic, his face as beautiful as Lance remembered. 

Lance had imagined every way Keith could return, every way he could react. He planned to yell at Keith, to hug him, to cry. He had a series of plans, from A to Z. But when the time came, all of that dissipated, leaving fog behind.

Keith gaped. “Lance? You have a sword?”

“Wow,” he said, his voice bitter. “That’s the first thing, you say, huh?”

“You have a SWORD,” Keith said.

“Yes, I have a fucking sword. You missed a lot when you were gone.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lance’s jaw dropped. This boy was unbelievable. “That’s it?” He threw his bayard on the floor in anger. “You left the team! You left ME! You almost committed suicide! And now you can just waltz back in here like nothing happened and say “You have a sword?” And “I’m sorry?”

“Lance-”

“Why? Why did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” Keith said. “I did it for everyone. I did it for my team.”

“You left us! How could we still be a team?”

“We’ll always be a team, Lance.”

“Don’t even say my name! You left me-”

“I left because there wasn’t enough room for all of us,” Keith said. “Someone had to go. I didn’t want it to be you.”

“You didn’t have to leave.”

“I did.”

“What did the Blade have that we don’t?”

“You don’t get it, Lance. My family is somewhere out there. I had to learn about them.”

“Your family is RIGHT HERE.”

“Look, it wasn’t an easy decision for me, okay? But they taught me a lot.”

“Killing yourself? Is that something the precious Blade taught you to do?”

“Sometimes the greater good is more important than me. This is war, Lance. I don’t WANT to die, but it was the only option I had.”

“Voltron would have broken if you died,” Lance whispered. “I don’t think you realize how important you are to us. To me.”

“I did what I thought was best. It’s hard,” Keith said. The thin veneer of control he maintained had dissipated. He looked guilty. “I’m sorry.”

“God, I’m so glad you’re alive,” Lance said, tears gushing out of his eyes.

Keith opened his arms, looking awkward. “You… you want a hug?”

Lance, too emotional to poke fun at Keith, walked right into his arms and let go. He cried, cried again, and cried some more. It had been a hard time without Keith there. Lance had to keep everything in.

Lance had ceased sniffling, and just held Keith.

Keith broke the silence. “So, how in the hell did you get a sword?”

“I leveled up, I guess. Allura told me she hasn’t seen something like this in ten thousand years. She said I have greatness within.” Lance felt proud, an emotion that hadn’t sunk in at the time. 

“Lance, that’s amazing,” Keith said.

“You don’t mean that.” Lance waved a hand dismissively.

“I do.” Keith’s eyes met Lance’s in the dim light on the hangar. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, man.”

“You know,” Keith said. “I’ve been using a sword for awhile. I could show you a few things.”

“Are you offering to train me, Mullet?” Lance asked. “I’ll have you know I’m a master already.”

“We’ll see about that.”

——

Lance was beginning to understand the difficulty of sword fighting. At first, swinging the sword took no effort. He sliced through the training robots like they were made of butter. However, it being a broadsword, the longer he fought, the heavier it felt. And the robots just kept coming.

Lance rolled through a robot’s legs and emerged behind it. He sliced neatly through its back. “Piece of cake,” he said, trying not to sound exhausted. Another one, sensing his distraction, bopped him on the head with its shield. “Ow,” he complained. He lunged towards it, slicing its head. Staggering slightly, he shifted into a fighting stance as bots circled him.

“Your stance is wrong,” said Keith. He paused the training.

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Here, let me help.”

Keith got directly behind Lance. Lance, trying desperately to keep what dignity he had, wanted to shift away. “Move your arms like this.” He held Lance’s shoulder and guided his arms. Lance squeezed his eyes shut. It felt so odd having Keith here. His touch burned. 

“Lower your stance,” Keith said. “You’ll have more balance.”

“My… what?” Lance squatted lower. 

“No, not exactly…” 

“Then how?”

“You’ll get the idea the longer you train.”

“Very helpful.”

Keith unpaused the training, and stood on the sidelines, arms folded, his eyes scrutinizing. “Lance, try not to fall into the momentum. Stay light on your feet.”

“I’m trying!” 

He missed being a sharpshooter. He’d had his fair share of experience wielding a blade, but a broadsword was another matter entirely. It was heavy. It pulled on his arm. It was hard to resist falling into the momentum of the swing.

He swung at one of the training bots, exhausted, and missed. It whacked the back of his knee, and he collapsed to the floor, his cheek hitting the metal.

“Stop,” Keith said to the program, ceasing the training. “You need a break. How about I take a turn? Just sit and watch me.”

“That’ll be easy on the eyes.” Lance winked.

“Jesus.” Keith walked into the center of the room. “Start.”

Keith’s fighting was elegant. Although he didn’t have a bayard, he was just as skillful with an ordinary blade. His cuts were sharp and decisive. Robots fell to the ground in pieces at his feet. He weaved in and out, landing blows on the surrounding enemies. Lance burned with envy and admiration at how simple Keith made it look.

Keith had fought for ten minutes, absorbed in the training, and it seemed like he’d forgotten Lance’s presence.

“Stop,” Lance said. The training onslaught ceased, and Keith looked up. “We get it, you’re good at fighting.”

“I just wanted to show you a good example,” said Keith.

“I know I’m not gonna be able to do it as well as you.”

“Well, of course not. I’ve been doing this for years. You just got your new bayard. It takes time.”

“Maybe, but… I don’t know. I felt better being a sharpshooter. That was my thing. Now I have a new “thing,” and I’m not even good at it, and it’s your specialty anyways.”

“First of all, it’s not really my specialty if I’m not on the team anymore.” Lance opened his mouth as if to object, then closed it.

“Secondly,” said Keith, walking over to Lance, and crouching down so that they were face to face. “Allura herself said you unlocked an Altean relic for a reason. You need to trust that.”

“It’s hard just trusting. I want to know for sure.”

“I know one thing for sure. It sensed something in you,” Keith said, an inch away from Lance’s face, “And so do I.”

His lips met Lance’s. It should have been unexpected. Strictly speaking, it WAS sudden, as unpredictable as Keith usually was. But a kiss between them felt inevitable. 

Lance kissed him back.

Keith was warm. His lips were soft, and tasted of salt. They both probably tasted like salt, as tired and sweaty as they were. Lance cradled Keith’s cheeks in his hands, and as if mirroring him, Keith caressed Lance’s neck. They melted into each other.

Lance wanted this kiss to last forever. It was a little disappointing when Keith broke it off. 

Keith took him by the hand. His face was a peachy pink. “Come on,” Keith said. “Let’s fight together.”

Was that the way Keith handled romance? Lance had dealt with worse.

They stood, back to back, facing the frozen robots. “Start,” Keith said.

The bots sprang into action, assessing the new situation. Keith and Lance stayed back to back, tense. Then, the first bot charged at them. Keith squatted, slicing off its feet, and then stabbed through it’s back as it fell. 

Their shoulder blades knocked into each other as they ducked, lunged, and defended. ‘Watch out!” Lance said, and Keith narrowly missed a blade that sailed over his head. 

“Thanks, man.”

“I got you.”

Lance was getting the hang of the broadsword, although he was still far from mastering it. His frame was more balanced, confident. Its weight, which had been far too heavy, was now a bearable burden. Most importantly, he was less focused on perfection and impressing Keith, which allowed the instinct of the red lion to flow through him.

“Lance, you’re doing great!” Keith said, deflecting a blow.

“Why thank you.” Lance pierced a training robot to the floor in a single leap.

Electronic parts littered the floor around them, looking less like a crime scene and more like a demolished computer factory. 

“Pidge would have a cow if she saw this,” Lance grinned.

“You’re a monster,” Keith said. “Making jokes about the massacre so soon?”

“BITCH!” Lance exploded in laughter. Looking at each other in mirth, Keith and Lance collapsed onto the floor.

And then, it hit Lance that less than an hour before, he and Keith kissed.

“Keith,” He said.

“Yeah?”

“What are we now?”

“Right now? Training partners.”

“You dolt. I mean, what are we?”

“Good question.”

“God, we’re disasters.” 

“Just you.”

“Okay, we need to talk about this, though.” Lance couldn’t let Keith slip away from him, not when he’d just returned. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

“I mean, yeah.”

“YOU COULD SOUND A LITTLE MORE HAPPY!”

“No, no, no,” Keith rushed to reassure him. “I just spend more time thinking about you than I do about labels and stuff.”

Lance’s heart cracked. “That’s one of the nicest things you’ve said to me.”

“If I recall correctly, you’re the mean one in this relationship.”

“What? I am n-“ Lance’s voice cut off as he stared over Keith’s shoulder.

“What?”

“Um, Keith? Behind you.”

The team stood behind the glass. Allura’s arms were crossed. Hunk and Pidge were glaring, and looked wary of what Keith and Lance were doing. Coran, deaf to everyone else’s emotions, was waving hello to Keith. Shiro stood at the back, his expression inscrutable.

“Shit.” Keith said.

“Don’t worry,” said Lance. “I have your back.”

They smiled at each other and interlaced fingers. Then, they walked out, prepared to face the firestorm together.


End file.
